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A Formula 1 season spans across a number of Grands Prix over a season so a system is needed to crown a champion for both drivers and constructors. For Formula 1, just like most racing series, this is achieved via a points format, where points are added up over the course of the season. As it comes with its intricacies though, in this article you can learn all about the points system in Formula 1, as well as some historical facts on the subject.
The points system in 2023
First and foremost, we begin by clarifying that every race across the calendar counts towards the championship, so drivers do not have the luxury of sacrificing any race across the 22 weekends we get to see action at. It is also important to remember that, for the constructors’ championship, teams are scoring the amount of points both of their drivers receive in any given race.
The most valuable source of points are the full distance races, most of which run to a distance of around 300 kilometers. These take place on Sundays, with the exception of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which will run on Saturday night local time, and last a maximum of two hours. In these races, the top ten finishers score points, except for cases we will look into later. The points scored are as follows:
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
In addition to the points above, since 2019, there is an additional point given to the driver who records the fastest lap of the race, provided he is classified inside the top ten. If he finishes outside the top ten, no driver gets the point, as was the case in the 2023 Bahrain GP, when Zhou Guanyu recorded the fastest lap but finished sixteenth.
In 2021, the championship introduced sprint races, run to about a third of the total distance of a Grand Prix. Although they were originally used mainly to set the grid for the main event, for this year they are very much independent races. In these, the top eight drivers score points, although they are reduced to reflect the smaller distance and no point is given for the fastest lap:
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
In reaction to the 2021 Belgian GP, which only lasted two laps behind the safety car and saw drivers score half points (as was the case with every race that lasted less than 75% of the total distance in the past), Formula 1 adjusted the points given out in shortened races. The new system can be seen below, with the percentage indicating the percentage of the scheduled full distance covered in the race. Note that points are only scored if there are more than two laps under normal racing conditions, with no safety car interevention.
| Distance | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
75% – 100% | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
50% – 75% | 19 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
25% – 50% | 13 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - |
2 laps – 25% | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - |
It should be noted that in the very rare case of a dead heat (two or more cars crossing the line at exactly the same time), the points for the competitors in question are added together and shared equally. So, for example, if we have a dead heat between two drivers in a normal Grand Prix for second place, each driver will get 16.5 points, as 18+15=33 and 33/2=16.5.
Standings tiebreakers
Of course, there is always the possibility of two or more competitors, be it drivers or teams, concluding the season with the same number of points. While this has not been a factor in deciding a champion yet, there have been ties in past years. One such case took place last season, when Alfa Romeo and Aston Martin both ended the season with 55 points, in the battle for sixth in the constructors’ standings. While a battle like this may seem insignificant, the Swiss outfit came out on top with the use of tiebreakers, thus receiving more prize money.
The FIA F1 Sporting Regulations cover this scenario in detail.
If two or more constructors or drivers finish the Championship with the same number of points, the higher place in the Championship (in either case) shall be awarded to:
a) The holder of the greatest number of first places in a race.
b) If the number of first places is the same, the holder of the greatest number of second places in a race.
c) If the number of second places is the same, the holder of the greatest number of third places in a race and so on until a winner emerges.
d) If this procedure fails to produce a result, the FIA will nominate the winner according to such criteria as it thinks fit.
History of points systems
The points system in the F1 World Championship has gone through many variations, but the most important development happened ahead of 1958, its ninth season. For the first time, there would be a championship for the constructors, in addition to the one for drivers, which was running since 1950. At the time, each constructor scored points only based on its highest scoring driver in each race, a rule that lasted until 1979, when the change was made for the sum of both drivers’ points to be counted.
For the first decade of the championship, only the top five scored points, on an 8-6-4-3-2 basis, with an additional point for the fastest lap. From 1961, things changed slightly, with no point for the fastest lap, an additional point for the winner and one point for the sixth-placed finisher, a system that stayed in place up to 1990.
In all this time span, there was a big difference to the current system. The drivers dropped their worst results over the season, the number of which varied over the years. It had an effect in seasons like 1988, when drivers only kept eleven of their best results over the 16-race season. In that season, Alain Prost scored 105 points, to Ayrton Senna’s 94, but the former had to drop three second-place finishes and two retirements, thus losing eighteen points. The latter dropped two retirements and then a fourth-place, a sixth-place, and a tenth-place finish, only losing four points and becoming champion with 90 points to Prost’s 87.
From 1991 onwards, all results are counting and a further tweak meant that the winner scored ten points. A further change came in 2003, with a new 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 system for the top eight finishers. Finally, in 2010, the points system was formed as we know it today for the top ten, with the addition of the fastest lap point in 2019.
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